Gate valve



Filed. June 18, 1946 E. A. WEHNBERG GATE VALVE 4 Sheets-Sheet l July 24,1951 E. A. WEINBERG' GATE VALVE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June ,18, 1946 INVEN TOR.

,4 7'7'0RN5 Y (fa 140774 M e/bbe/g BY July 24, 1951 E. A. WEINBERG GATEVALVE Filed June 18, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Edi W724 Wexhlwry y1951 E. A. WEINBERG 2,562,157

GATE VALVE Filed June 18, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented July 24, 1951N'ITIED arms-NT zoreice w i 2,562,157 I G A'rEi VALVE time; A.,Weihlper: Troy; N. gssignoi The Ludlow" Valve Manufacturing 00., Incl,Troy, N1 YL', a cc'rpdmtionor New York ApplicationPJunei18,1946,:S'erial'No. 677,592 I QCla'ims. (chem-+71) .T, '1 =Myinventionrelates to valves and particularly veto-improvements: indouble: disc gate valvesofthe a; type in which the-valve-gateiszguidedduring its {5013811111};- and closing-movements.

With these objects in view my invention in cludes the novel combinationandarrangement of In gate valves f the doublewdisc type WhlChEf 5are'notprovided withgateguides the-discon the t outlet side-of-1the-=va1ve, during the; opening and -=-closing; thereof, is forced,against its-seat ;by the ;-:-pressure* of the "fluid: passingvthrough'the valve.

- The :gateand'seat rings. arethussubject to wear.

over: the entire; area. thereof and, :when the valve is'z-left in;partly open" or throttling condition, the pressure:is:;conc entratedonthose smallareas of -contact between the gate and" seat; rings wherestheyr cross each other andr-the 'wearwin these zonesis.particularlyaexcessive. .-;As a; result; in a 1 short--time;.,the:valve 'cannot be tightly closed. -Wash-water valves %usedin :waterfiltration'plants v which, in normaLuse, are-'subject-to frequentoperation and are often left for prolongedsperiods cinipartlyyopenposition are especially: subject to wear inthis way.

Jlhe fact that doublewdisc gate valves-ware "vulnerable -in-' thisrespect is --well:=known="and various modifications in the "design:thereofvhave wbeen-v proposed to eliminate --this rapid :wear. '1 In theso-called square bottom" valve, for example, 1thevgate isr provided'with" comparatively small shoestwhichare rivetedior otherwise secured'toI w-ings -oneach fsideq of the outlet discwhich ride 1 $1111: and I onto bronze guide tracks "which are -fastened to the valve'body. Theseshoes and-the 1': .guide tracks on which they runwearwdown-in a shorttime and -are-not only diflicultand ex- :-=pensive'to replace butarecostly. to manufacture r il'l the first instance. In -theso-ca1ledbeamedwaterway; gate valve, :w-increased bearing area for the "disc-ontheoutlet i side of the valve is providedby two, vertically dis-;Hposedbeams which areposi-tioned directly int-he center ofthe portarea. Bronze-strips on the gate having their faces coplanar with -i-theseat ---a-r1d;=-disc rings bear against: these -be a-ms and slightlyincrease the total contact area between the'movable gate and thestationary .parts with "which it' moves in contact, butthepresence, of-the -beams substantially reduces" the cross-sec- -;.tionalarea of thevalveoutlet and increases the *turbulence and friction lossin the valve.

Theprincipal object of this inventionis to provideav simple, easilyapplied, readily replaceable :-.and inexpensive mechanism f or guidingthe! valve gates-during theirhentire ,travelltoprevent them from cominginto contact with the :valve. seats until final .closure'is effected.

. Fig.1 is a fragmentaryelevation view, half in -section,.througha'valve'embodying my invention looking in the direction in which thefiuid fiows pthrou'gh the valve and showing, in. the section half,theback' of the gate onthe outlet side of the valve;

' '-Fig; 2 is a" fragmentary elevationi-viewpf tmy -.valve withportionsbrokenaway and portions in se n;

:' .;,Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view ofFig. l

inthe plane 3 -3 showing the guide rodbearings T in; section;

FigUQl is an-enlarged fragmentary sectional view of Fig. 3 in the plane4+4;

Fig; 5 is a.-perspec tive view of, theoutlet gate; {Fig 6 isa'perspective viewv of the inlet gate; Fig. 7 isa perspective vview-ofthe upperwedge f'which cooperates with the stem, to raise and .lowerthe. gates; and V i :Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the lower wedge. Asa group, Figs. 5, 6, '7 and 8 forman exploded perspective view of the.gatesgandi wedges.

. Referring to the drawings- 7 My valve comprises a case or body Iprovided g with afiuid inlet land a fluid outlet}. 4 isthe cover orbonnet which is securedto atop flange outlet of the valveonthe inside ofthe case is a seat ring 8 which-cooperates with a ring 9 on the ,gate;Ill.

The ;va1ve;is provided' with the usual wthreadedstern l l-,;which worksthrough a bronze Tnut 3 3-: (se e Fig. '7) in the upper wedge l3, and

which may be turned by the handtwheel l2 to raise :and lower the gates.

.- Referring to Figs. Etc '7, inclusive, it will be noted thatthegatesron their opposed ,faces, are reach provided with;vertically-spaced, horizon- Qtally-extending ribs M, 34" and 35, 355011the. outlet gate, and *3 B,-36 anol 3], 31 orrthe inlet gate.

In assembled relation, the dependingportions I38 and 9 h u psrw ds 1,?9? Qd' tween-these Vertically spaced ribs, and the upper portion. tilof the lower. wedge is received between em i e n t bnsfi ifa 39-; hu iwhuppe W eras d by i ip the;stem I I, the'shoulders 4 i and QZthereon',which underi iel eidz 'rib -th a stati n to arr $17118; gates upwardly;and the lower of said'ribs on the gates, which underlie the shoulders 43and 44 on the lower wedge |4, function to carry the lower wedgeupwardly. The ribs or flanges 45 on the sides of the upper wedge liebetween the gates.

In opening the valve the first turn of the stem releases the upper wedgefrom its wedging contact with the lower wedge M which releases the discclosing the inlet passage so that fluid under pressure entering the caseforces it laterally away from its seat. While the disc which closes theoutlet passage is also released and may move laterally away from itsseat, insofar as the wedges are concerned, it is, nevertheless, heldforcibly against its seat by the fluid pressure which develops in thecase. If no means were provided for positively moving the downstreamdisc laterally away from its seat as the valve is opened and closed itwould remain in frictional contact therewith as the gate is raised andlowered and the contacting surfaces would be subjected to rapid wear.

The distance from top to bottom of portions 38 and 39 of the upper wedgeis slightly less than the distance between the upper and lower ribs onthe discs, and, in closing, the discs ride downwardly parallel to theirseats simply suspended from the upper wedge by means of the upper ribson said discs which rest on the shoulders 4| and 42 of said wedge. Thelower wedge rides downwardly suspended from the lower ribs on the discsby means of the shoulders 43 and 44 which rest thereon. During thisdownward movement, the wedging surfaces 4! on the upper wedge, which aredesigned to cooperate with the wedging surfaces 48 on the lower Wedge,are out of wedging cooperation therewith. The downward movement of thegate-wedge assembly proceeds until the bottom of the lower wedge I4strikes the boss IS in the bottom of the case, whereupon the lower wedgestops. However, the upper wedge and the discs continue to movedownwardly bringing the wedging surfaces 41 into contact with thesurfaces 48 on the lower wedge, and the wedging surfaces 49 on disc linto contact with the wedging surfaces 50 on the lower wedge.Thereafter, the discs are forced downwardly, by the upper wedge, as itmoves downwardly, by contact of the bottoms of the depending portions 38and 39 with the lower ribs 35, 35, 31 and 37 on the discs. the upperwedge are in contact with the inner face of the disc shown in Fig. 6,and the wedging cooperation of the surfaces 4'! with the surfaces 48,and the surfaces 49 with the surfaces 53 forces the discs apart and intocontact with their respective seats. Since the bottoms of the dependingportions 38 and 39 on the upper wedge are merely in contact with theribs 35, 35' and 35, 35', the discs are free to move laterally intovalve closed position.

In order to provide a means for positively moving the downstream discout of contact with its seat as the valve is opened and so maintainingit while said valve is opened, I provide two guide bars l6 within thecasing, one on each side of the gate, which are disposed parallel to thestem As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, these bars, at the top thereof,are threaded into the cover or bonnet as shown at IT in Fig. 1 and, atthe bottom, are received in recesses l8 in the bottom of the body. Tofacilitate manufacture, the guide bars I6 are preferably turned fromround stock and are provided with portions I9 and 20 of reducedcross-sectional area. Frusto-conical transition surfaces 2|, 22 and 23,forming ramps join The depending portions 38 and 39 of those portions ofthe bar H; of crosssectional area with those portions of the bars whichare of the normal maximum cross-sectional area.

Preferably cast integral with the disc III, which closes the outletpassage of the valve, and at each side thereof, is a pair of sleevebearings. 24 at the top and 25 at the bottom. These bearings areprovided, respectively, with replaceable bronze bushings 26 and 2! whichhave a fairly close running fit on those portions of the guide bars Hiwhich are of maximum diameter. As illustrated, the bushings are securedin the sleeve bearings by means of nuts 28 at each end, but it is to beunderstood they may be press fitted or otherwise secured therein. Sincethe bushings have a fairly close sliding fit on those portions of theguide bars which are of maximum diameter, it will be apparent that whenthe bushings are disposed in the ramp zones of the bars IE or in thezones of minimum cross-sectional area some freedom of lateral movementof the disc H] with respect to the guide bars is provided. The axes ofthe guide bars are disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the seatof the disc l0 and the distance between these planes is slightly greaterthan the distance between the plane defined by the axes of the bushingsand the plane of the face of the gate ring 9 on the disc I0. Thus, whenthe bushings 26 and 21 are coaxial with the guide bars It, the plane ofthe face of the gate ring is parallel to and spaced from the plane ofthe face of its seat. However, the ramp surfaces 2|, 22 and 23,respectively, allow the axes 3| of the bushings to dispose themselves orto be disposed eccentric to the axes 32 of the guide bars l6, as shownin Fig. 4, to a degree sufiicient to allow the gate ring on the disc IDto move or to be moved laterally into passage-closing contact with itsseat.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that, when the gate is raisedfrom the closed position shown in the drawing, the bushings 26 and 21will ride upwardly on the ramps 2| and 23 respectively, and thuspositively move the disc l0 laterally away from its seat and will somaintain it while the valve is open.

It will be noted from Figs. 1 and 3, that the sleeve bearings 25 at thebottom of the disc are substantially longer than the sleeve bearings 24at the top of the disc, and that the length of the sleeve bearings 25,including their bushings, are somewhat greater than the distance betweenthe high points 29 and 3|], respectively, of the ramp surfaces 2| and22. Thus, the sleeve bearings 25 in passing over the portions IQ ofreduced crosssectional area of the bar l6 and their associated rampswill always be in contact with portions of the bar 16 of maximumdiameter, and thus the disc l0, after it starts its opening movementwill always be maintained parallel to and spaced from its seat.

My making the guide bars l6 circular in cross section they may becheaply manufactured by merely turning down the ramps and portions ofreduced cross-sectional area thereof in a lathe. They are preferablyformed of a stainless steel to reduce the corrosion thereof and, in theevent of wear, may be readily removed for replacement merely by removingthe bonnet 4 and unscrewing them. Similarly, if the bushings 26 and 21become worn, new bushings may be readily inserted.

Since the inlet gate is subjected to water pressure tending to force itaway from its seat, the bearings 45 thereon fit loosely on the bars I6.

What I claim is:

1. A valve of the double disc gate type comprising a body provided witha fluid inletand a fluid outlet passage, a separate gate disc forclosing each of said passages, a seat for each of said discs, means,including a stem and nut cooperating with said discs for sliding saiddiscs towards and away from said seats to close and open said valve,bars in said body disposed approximately parallel to said stem andpositioned atthe sides of said discs; bearings on at least one of saiddiscs slidably cooperating with said bars and positively holding saiddisc in laterallyspaced relation to its seat substantially throughoutthe valve opening and closing sliding movements thereof; but said barshaving portions of reduced cross-sectional area positioned to cooperatewith said bearings when said disc is substantially in axial alignmentwith its seat to provide for lateral movement of said disc relative tosaid bars and into valve-closing contact with its seat; said portions ofsaid bars of reduced crosssectional area being connected to the otherportions of said bars by transition surfaces cooperating with saidbearings substantially at the beginning of the valve-opening slidingmovement of said disc to move said disc laterally away from its seat;and wedges actuated by said stem and cooperating with said gate discsfor moving said discs laterally towards and into contact with theirrespective seats when in axial alignment therewith to close said valve.

2. A valve of the double disc gate type comprising a body provided witha fluid inlet and a fluid outlet passage, a separate gate disc forclosing each of said passages, a seat for each of said discs, means,including a stem and nut cooperating with said discs for sliding saiddiscs towards and away from said seats to close and open said valve, around guide bar in said body disposed substantially parallel to saidstem and adjacent said discs at each side thereof; sleeve bearings oneach side of at least one of said discs slidably fitted on said bars andpositively holding said discs in laterally-spaced relation to its seatsubstantially throughout the valve-opening and closing sliding movementsthereof; but said bars having portions of reduced cross-sectional areathereon positioned to lie within said bearings when said disc issubstantially in axial alignment with its seat to provide for lateralmovement of said disc relative to said bars and into valve-closingcontact with its seat; said portions of said bars of reducedcross-sectional area being connected to the other portions of said barsby frusto-conical surfaced portions forming ramps cooperating with saidbearings to move said disc laterally away from its seat as it is movedupwardly at the beginning of the valve-opening movement thereof; andwedges actuated by said stem and cooperating with said gate discs formoving said discs laterally towards and into contact with theirrespective seats when in axial alignment therewith to close said valve.

EDWIN A. WEINBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,844,246 Fox Feb. 9, 19322,287,435 Koon June 23, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 21,939Great Britain Oct. 5, 1911

